Future of the Left @ The Lexington, London

The Lexington is absolutely heaving full of Future Of The Left fans. Unsurprisingly, this low-key show in the capital is sold out - and it marks a good opportunity to see where the four-piece are at, following last year's departure of bassist Kelson Mathais and addition of Julia Ruzicka (ex-Million Dead) and Jimmy Watkins (Strange News From Another Star).

With all this in mind, you'd forgive people for wondering if they'd be the same band - but within seconds of 'Arming Eritea' ramping up, those doubts are smashed with a loud guitar and vocal assault. They look extremely comfortable as a four-piece, and other classics like 'Manchasm', 'You Need Satan More Than He Needs You' and 'Small Bones Small Bodies' also help to encourage frenetic activity in the crowd.

The new songs that are road-tested tonight, six in total, show great potential. 'Waves' is a thudding tale about men in a café with witty, as ever, lines from leader Falco, whilst 'Sorry Dad I Was Late For The Riot' and 'Failed Olympic Bid' showcase a sense of topicality that is certainly more upfront than on past material. The one thing that unites all of them though is the anger that drove so much of their discography is still there but now even louder than before thanks to an increase in numbers.

It all comes to a halt with 'Lapsed Catholics' (which they manage to drag out for nearly ten minutes), culminating in a slew of scattered equipment all over the stage, as drummer Jack plays the Pink Panther theme song whilst singing into the microphone that's lodged in his mouth. It's some ending.